Tablet armchair



B. B. JUNKUNC TABLET ARMCHAIR Nov. 9, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 2, 1964 Nov. 9, 1965 Filed Nov. 2, 1964 B. B. JUNKUNC 3,216,765

TABLET ARMCHAIR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,216,765 TABLET ARMCHAIR Bela B. Junkunc, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Bela Seating Company, Inc., Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 408,213 Claims. (Cl. 297162) This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior copending application Serial No. 323,314, filed November 13, 1963. a

This invention relates to a tablet arm for chairs, and is particularly concerned with means for swinging the tablet arm pivotally to facilitate nesting of the chairs when they are stacked vertically, and to make -it easier for a person to get into or out of one of said chairs when said chairs are arranged in closely spaced rows, as in a class room or assembly hall.

Set-up chairs, i.e., non-folding chairs, may be stacked in nested relationship if their legs are inclined or spread to avoid engagement of the seat of one chair by the bottoms of the legs of the chair stacked thereon. Heretofore, it has been impossible to nest set-up chairs, otherwise capable of being nested vertically, when such chairs are provided with tablet arms, unless the tablet arm is removable, or the chairs have been provided with complicated mechanisms for retracting the tablet arm. Tablet arms, if positioned conveniently for use by a person sitting in a chair, have a portion thereof extending inwardly of the vertical plane of the legs at one side of the chair, and thus prevent the legs on said one side of one chair from moving downwardly into nested relationship with a similar ,chair positioned below it because the legs on said one side of the upper chair will engage the top of the tablet arm of the lower chair.

. In accordance with the present invention, the tablet arm is mounted on the chair in such a manner that it may be moved pivotally to swing it out of the path of travel of the legs of-achair being moved downwardly into nested relationship with the chair having the tablet arm mounted thereon.

A structure by means of which the above noted and other advantages of the invention are attained, will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing two preferred illustrative embodiments of the invention, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a set-up chair provided with a tablet arm embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the chair shown in FIGURE 1;

'FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the chair shown in FIGURE 1, with the tablet arm shown in its normal position of use in solid lines, and showing the tablet arm in its retracted position in dot and dash lines;

7 FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of a stack of chairs in nested position with the tablet arms of the lower chairs swung outwardly into retracted position;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of a stack of chairs is nested position;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of a tablet arm and supporting structure;

- FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken along the line 77 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 8 is}: fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken along the line 8-8 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 9 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the invention, showing the tablet arm in its nesting position in solid lines, and in its position of use in dotted lines;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of a stack of the chairs of FIG. 9 in nested position;

FIGURE 11 is a side elevational view of the chair of FIG. 9 in its use position;

"ice

FIGURE 12 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in elevation and partly in section, showing the support structure for the tablet arm of the chair shown in FIG. 9; and

FIGURE 13 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line 1313 of FIG. 12.

In FIGS. 1 to 8 of the drawings, a chair 11 comprises a base member consisting of two inverted U-shaped sections 12 and 13, and a back member 14 secured to the base, by welding or in any other suitable manner, to form a rigid frame. Section 12 comprises a forwardly inclined front leg 15, a rearwardly inclined rear leg 16, and an intermediate horizontal section 17 connecting the upper ends of the legs 15 and 16. Section 13 similarly comprises a front leg 18, a rear leg 16, and a horizontal section 19. The angular inclination of the legs of the base member provides vertical clearance so that the chairs may be stacked vertically in nested relationship. The sections 12 and 13 may be secured together by braces (not shown), if desired. The back member 14 comprises two upright sections 20, 21 and two arms 22, 23 extending forwardly from the lower ends of sections 20, 21, respectively. A seat 24 and a back rest 25 are secured to the chair frame in any suitable manner. A cross bar 26 is secured at its ends to the arms 22, 23 to reinforce the frame and help support the seat 24.

A support bar 27 mounted on one side of the chair supports a tablet arm 28 of any suitable size and shape in a horizontal plane. The support bar is preferably of tubular metal having a square cross-section, but may be made of any suitable material and may have a cross-section of any desired shape. The rear end of the support bar may be secured to the upright portion 20 of the back section, or to any other convenient portion of the chair. The rear end of the support bar is preferably .secured to the chair rigidly, but may be pivotally secured thereto, if desired. The tablet arm may be rigidly secured to the support bar if the support bar is pivotally secured to the frame. The support bar is bent near its rear end, as indicated at 29, to space it laterally outwardly from the side of the chair. The intermediate portion of the bar 27 is supported by a brace 30 having one end secured to the horizontal section 17 of the base and its other end secured to the underside of the bar 27. The free end of support bar 27 is preferably curved, as indicated at 43, to make the bar more rigid, but the free end of the bar may be of any desired shape.

The tablet arm 28 is pivotally secured adjacent one end thereof to the bar 27, as indicated at 31. As shown in the drawings, the pivotal connection 31 comprises a threaded stud 32 depending from the underside of the tablet arm 28 and extending through a pair of vertically aligned apertures in the tubular bar 27. A nut 33, threaded on the end of the bolt 32, holds the tablet arm against vertical displacement from the bar 27, but permits pivotal movement of the tablet arm in its own horizontal plane.

The underside of the tablet arm 28 is provided at its opposite end with a flat recess 34. A plate 35 is secured in the recess 34 by a plurality of screws 36. The plate 35 is provided with an arcuate slot 37 closed at each end. The slot coincides with a portion of the circumference of a circle having the pivot 31 as its center. The surface of plate 35 juxtaposed against the recessed surface of tablet arm 28 is recessed contiguous to the perimeter of the slot 37, as indicated at 38, to increase the width of the portion of the slot 37 adjacent the underside of the tablet arm 28.

The outer end of tablet arm 28 is slidably connected to the bar 27 by a threaded stud 39 having an enlarged head 40 seated in the wide portion of the slot 37. The

head 40 has a diameter larger than the width of the narrow portion of the slot 37. Since both ends of the slot 37 are closed, the head 40 of stud 39 must be positioned in the wide portion of the slot before the plate 35 is secured to the underside of the tablet arm 28. If desired, the head 40 may be provided with a reduced portion 41 adapted to fit in the narrow portion of slot 37. The stud 39 projects through vertically aligned apertures in the supporting bar 27 and is secured thereto by a nut 42.

The slot 37 has sufiicient length to permit the tablet arm 28 to move from its normal position for use, in which a portion of the arm extends directly in front of a person sitting in the chair 11, to a nesting position in which the entire arm is spaced outwardly of the vertical plane of section 12 of the chair. In its normal position for use, shown in solid lines in FIGURE 3, the tablet arm will usually make it diflicult for a person to get into or out of the chair. It is very easy to push the tablet arm pivotally into the nesting position, shown in dot and dash lines in FIGURE 3, to remove the obstruction so that a person can get into or out of the chair without difiiculty. The simple pivotal movement of the tablet arm into its nesting position also makes it as easy to stack a plurality of chairs in nested relationship as if the chairs did not have any tablet arms.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 9 to 13, the structure of the frame of the chair 44 is substantially the same as that of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 8, and the same reference numerals will indicate identical structure. The detailed description of identical structure will not be repeated. The only dilference in the frame of the chair is that the arms 22 and 23 are offset vertically from the intermediate horizontal section 17, as shown in FIG. 11.

A tablet arm 45 is provided with a pair of tubular posts 46 depending therefrom in spaced relationship. The posts are preferably square in cross-section, but may be cylindrical or of any desired shape. Each post 46 has a pin 47 projecting therethrough intermediate its length and extending laterally on each side of the post. A support bar 48 is rigidly secured on one end to the side wall of the arm 22 in lateral alignment with each post 46. The tablet arm may be supported by a single support bar. The upper end of the tubular post may be bifurcated to provide two spaced points of support on the underside of the tablet arm to increase the rigidity of the structure. The support'bars may be welded, or secured by any suitable fastening means, to either the arm 22 or to the intermediate horizontal section 17. The support bars 48 may be of any desirable configuraiton, but are shown as channel members each having side walls 49 spaced to fit on opposite sides of a tubular post 46. Each wall 49 has a vertical slot 50 through which one end of the pin 47 projects.

The inverted U-shaped section 12 has a tubular reinforcing brace 51 welded at its ends to the legs 15 and 16. The brace 51 is located below the horizontal plane of the arm 22, and is preferably in the same vertical plane as the section 17. A bracket 52 is rigidly secured to the brace 51 in any suitable manner as, for example, by a screw 53, in vertical alignment with each support bar 48. Each bracket 52 has one leg 54 extending laterally outwardly from the brace 51 and is provided with an up standing stud 55 in vertical alignment with the outer end of the support bar 48. The upper end of the stud is preferably beveled, as indicated at 56, to facilitate engagement of the stud by the lower end of the tubular post 46 in vertical alignment with the stud.

When the tablet arm 45 is in horizontal position, as :shown in dotted lines in FIG. 9, each tublar post 46 is in vertical alignment with one of the studs 55. The internal diameter of each post 46 is large enough to allow it to fit over the stud. The support bars 48 and the studs 55 cooperate to hold the tablet arm 45 against pivotal movement when the tubular posts 46 are positioned with the studs extending into their lower ends. The support bars pivotally support the tablet arm when the posts are lifted out of engagement with the studs, as permitted by the slots 50. The slots 50 are long enough so that the posts 46 can be lifted vertically far enough for their lower ends to clear the tops of the studs.

The pivotal movement of the tablet arm is guided by the interengagement of the support bar with the pin 47 of each post, and is limited by a stop member 57 secured to the outer side wall of the brace 51. The stop member may be a plate made of any suitable material, such as, for example, plastic or metal. The plate is thick enough to intercept the lower end of the post 46 when the tablet arm is lifted as far as thesupport bar permits and is swung pivotally outwardly to its nesting positon. For the sake of appearance, it is preferred that the brace 51 be of the same cross-sectional size as the section 17, and that the top of the plate 57 be flush with the top of the brace. However, if desired, the cross-sectional size of the brace may be increased so that the brace itself acts a stop member, or the plate may be extended upwardly to limit the pivotal movement of the tablet arm.

When the tablet arm 45 is in its nesting position, its inner edge is clear of the vertical plane difining the plane of the adjacent side of the perimeter of the chair frame, as shown in solid lines in FIG. 9. In order to move the tablet arm from its nesting position to its normal position of use, it is necessary only to lift the tablet arm until the pin 47 abuts the upper edge of the slot 50, swing it inwardly until it is substantially horizontal and then drop it. The lower end of the tubular post 46 engages the beveled upper edge of the stud 55, and the post is then guided into position to lock the tablet arm in its position of use.

Although I have described two preferred embodiments of the invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details of structure may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact structure described.

I claim:

1. A chair having a shape enabling it to be nested with other similar chairs, said chair comprising a frame, a

support bar extending outwardly from said frame, a tablet arm, a tubular post depending from said tablet arm, said tubular post being pivotally interengaged with said support bar for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis whereby said tablet arm may be moved between a nesting position clear of the vertical planes defining the perimeter of said frame, and a position of use, and releasable locking means engageable with the lower end of said tubular post to hold said tablet arm against movement from said position of use.

2. A chair having a shape enabling it to be nested with other similar chairs, said chair comprising a frame, a support bar extending outwardly from said frame, a tablet arm, a tubular post depending from said tablet arm, said tubular post being pivotally interengaged with said support bar for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis whereby said tablet arm may be moved between a nesting position clear of the vertical planes defining the perimeter of said frame, and a position of use, a bracket extending outwardly from said frame below said support, and an upstanding stud mounted on said bracket, adjacent its outer end, said stud being engageable with said tubular post to hold said tablet arm against movement from said position of use.

3. A chair having a shape enabling it to be nested with other similar chairs, said chair comprising a frame, a.

support bar extending outwardly from said frame, a tablet arm, a tubular post depending from said tablet arm, said tubular post being pivotally interengaged with said support bar for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis whereby said tablet arm may be moved between a nesting position clear of the vertical planes defining the perimeter of said frame, and a position of use, a bracket extending outwardly from said frame below said support bar, an upstanding stud mounted on said bracket adjacent its outer end, said stud being engageable with said tubular post to hold said tablet arm against movement from said position of use, and stop means limiting the outward pivotal movement of said tablet arm.

4. A chair having a shape enabling it to be nested with other similar chairs, said chair comprising a frame, a support bar extending outwardly from said frame, a tablet arm, and a tubular post depending from said tablet arm, a bracket extending outwardly from said frame, an upstanding stud mounted on said bracket, a pin and slot connection between said tubular post and said support bar whereby said tubular post may be moved vertically into and out of engagement with said stud, and may be moved pivotally about a horizontal axis when said tubular post is free of said stud, to move said tablet arm between a nesting position and a position of use.

5. A chair having a shape enabling it to be nested with other similar chairs, said chair comprising a frame, a support bar extending outwardly from said frame, a tablet arm, and a tubular post depending from said tablet arm, a bracket extending outwardly from said frame, an upstanding stud mounted on said bracket, a pin and slot connection between said tubular post and said support bar whereby said tubular post may be moved vertically into and out of engagement with said stud, and may be moved pivotally about a horizontal axis when said tubular post is free of said stud, to move said tablet arm between a nesting position and a position of use, and stop means limiting the outward pivotal movement of said tablet arm.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 258,354 5/82 Bell 297162 X 854,298 5/07 Matthews 297161 1,231,301 6/17 Schlanger 297161 1,324,503 12/19 Hirsch 297161 2,980,170 4/61 Beehtold 297417 2,994,366 8/61 Hoch 297162 X 3,082,036 3/63 Albinson 297 X 3,095,236 6/63 Klassen 297-162 X 3,140,894 7/64 Hicke 297-162 3,156,498 11/64 Blopee 297162 FOREIGN PATENTS 139,128 2/53 Sweden.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CHAIR HAVING A SHAPE ENABLING IT TO BE NESTED WITH OTHER SIMILAR CHAIRS, SAID CHAIR COMPRISING A FRAME A SUPPORT BAR EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID FRAME, A TABLET ARM, A TUBULAR POST DEPENDING FROM SAID TABLET ARM, SAID TBULAR POST BEING PIVOTALLY INTERENGAGED WITH SAID SUPPORT BAR FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS WHEREBY SAID TABLE ARM MAY BE MOVED BETWEEN A NESTING POSITION CLEAR OF THE VERTICAL PLANES DEFINING THE PERIMETER OF SAID FRAME, AND A POSITION OF USE, AND RELEASABLE LOCKING MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE LOWER END OF SAID TUBULAR POST TO HOLD SAID TABLET ARM AGAINST MOVEMENT FROM SAID POSITION OF USE. 